Q: Why are dental practices that rely on insurance in danger of losing patients and revenue?
A: We used to see about 70% of a normal PPO practice be represented by insurance patients. However, that number has steadily been decreasing, and the rate of uninsured patients has skyrocketed since COVID-19. Last year, over 6 million people lost their dental insurance during the pandemic and did not get it back. If a practice continues to rely on their innetwork relationships, they will have a very hard time surviving, and an even slimmer chance at growing. Having a solid program like the Plan for Health (PFH) Oral Wellness Membership Program from TruBlu in place helps practices ensure their patients of record still come to them if they no longer have dental insurance, and also reinforces the loyalty the practice has already built up with those relationships.
Q: Are many practices restricted by a discounted fee schedule?
A: It’s no secret that insurance carriers are providing lower and lower reimbursements to practices. We also know there are thousands of practices operating with extremely low UCR fees. One of the best things a practice can do is review their UCR fees and (strategically and appropriately) increase them on an annual basis. A healthy practice is using fees that fall into the 90th percentile on the NDAS report, a report that shows all ADA codes and fees specific to their practice zip code. In regard to their insurance relationships, they also should be submitting for fee increases annually. If a practice is not submitting for fee increases and simply accepting what the insurance fee schedule was originally set at, they are negatively impacting the industry overall with reimbursements across the board. Every little bit helps in the long run, especially if the practice will continue to be in-network with those insurance companies. What we don’t ever want to see is a patient’s dental benefits dictating the services or care that they receive. So, I don’t believe practices are restricted in the care they provide, but I do think—if the fees are not being increased on a regular basis—it affects the profitability of the business. In turn, that can contribute to a lack of investing back into the practice. Without growth, you become limited in adding technology, services, products, and even acquiring new team members. Loyalty and Membership plans can be a great solution in relying less on in-network discounted fee schedules and instead use a healthy and appropriately designed set of fees that also elevate the standard of care and strengthen the relationship between the practice and the patient.
Q: How can Plan for Health help a practice from an administrative standpoint?
A: The Plan for Health Oral Wellness Membership Program will be a main vehicle for growing the practice and allowing the team to focus on other areas, rather than making calls to track down patients and schedule hygiene appointments, ask for payments, schedule treatment, etc. Enrolling patients in a plan that allows the team to schedule all their preventive services for the entire year fills the hygiene schedule with predictability. No-shows and cancellations become nearly extinct as the patient has already “pre-paid.” The admin team looks like heroes for pre-scheduling/ pre-appointing and efficiently tracking those appointments to ensure the highest care more consistently.
Q: Does Plan for Health make it easy to shift away from insurance?
A: Membership plans like Plan for Health are now an essential tool for becoming less dependent on insurance or exiting insurance relationships altogether. The decision to shift away from being an in-network provider can be a very beneficial move when done the right way. If a practice is considering dropping any of their insurance relationships, there is about an 8- to 12-month strategy recommended with specific steps to take for a smooth transition. During this transition time, the team begins to communicate with their patients about the value of the membership. Many times, the patients are already excited to know there is an affordable and easy way to continue to get their dental care from the provider and practice they already know and love. In some instances, membership plans can be used in conjunction with a patient’s insurance benefits to supplement preventive services or provide alternatives when a patient reaches their maximum benefits. Practices that bring in Plan for Health during the time they transition away from insurance—or ramp up the program already in place—have retained the majority of their post-insurance patient population. As a fee-for-service practice, Plan for Health is available to all patients. As a nonparticipating insurance provider, we can show you how to enroll 100% of your patients.
Q: How does Plan for Health create loyalty among patients?
A: Everyone wants to feel as though they are special. Plan for Health is your practice’s “VIP” membership plan. Create that “stickiness” in your relationship. Your patients want to have a dental home— give that to them by offering a way to see you more consistently, schedule their ideal days/times for future appointments, reward them for investing in their own health, and continue to provide excellent service. The PFH membership program enhances and reinforces the practice’s relationship
Q: How is Plan for Health in a better position than other programs to help the independent practice?
A: TruBlu’s Plan for Health Oral Wellness Membership Program is a comprehensive service that allows your practice the ability to offer patients a direct way to provide affordable dental care. The program is built in a way that fi ts your practice and treatment philosophy and rewards patients for being proactive with their health. Plan for Health is more than a software, it is really a comprehensive service that sets the practice up for success from the start. It must be customized for the practice. Plan for Health analyzes the current fees, the patient population, and the practice’s insurance relationships to create the program that best fi ts the practice and the patients. PFH provides legally compliant agreements between the practice and the patient, arms the team with specifi c strategies for internal and digital marketing communications, and managing the details of the program.
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